Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, meets with the Secretary of Changzhou CPC Municipal Committee, Mr Yan Li, in Jiangsu Province.
Macao is seeking further cooperation with cities in the Yangtze River Delta regarding the training of researchers in scientific fields, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, during the second day of his visit to Jiangsu Province. Such cooperation would help advance Macao’s economic competitiveness, he stated. Cooperating with Changzhou Prefecture would help Macao realise its vision for moderate economic diversification as well as bringing major benefits for Changzhou. The two places had complementary strengths, Mr Chui noted. Mr Chui’s comments were made this morning (Wednesday) during a meeting with the Secretary of the Changzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC, Mr Yan Li. Mr Yan said during the meeting that Macao’s connection with other economies, especially with the Portuguese-speaking countries, would be a useful platform to help promote Changzhou’s cooperation with international partners. The Secretary said there were also opportunities to expand partnership regarding tourism between Changzhou and Macao. Changzhou, as an important city of the Yangtze River Delta, received more than 54 million visitors last year, generating income of more than 73 billion yuan. He noted Macao’s favourable conditions for the promotion of mutual cooperation on tourism. They included Macao’s geographical position linking China with the rest of the world, and local people’s language skills, as well as the considerable number of talented local people available to support such cooperation. Services for the elderly, and areas related to medical services and healthcare were other possible fields for cooperation between the two places, Mr Yan added. Later in the afternoon, the Government delegation visited the Changzhou West Taihu Lake Science and Technology Zone, before returning to Macao. The Zone, also known as Jiangsu Wujin Economic Zone, is located near Changzhou’s city centre, and covers an area of 90 square kilometres. The Zone was designed to be a science innovation centre for the whole country, showcasing industries such as those researching and developing new materials, those developing medical equipment, and firms pursuing e-commerce. On Tuesday, the first day of Mr Chui’s visit, the Government of Jiangsu Province and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region endorsed a memorandum regarding formation of a joint taskforce for the establishment of a Jiangsu-Macao industrial zone. During Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Chui said the Government would work closely with the Jiangsu Government – via the newly formed taskforce – regarding research into possible fields of cooperation and the positioning of the future zone in the country’s overall development. Integrating Macao’s development efforts within the framework of regional cooperation would also help realise Macao’s “Centre and Platform” policies. The policies were mentioned in the recently published framework of the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan. “Centre and Platform” policies refer to the strategies to transform Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure, and a commercial and trade service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Chui stated on Tuesday that a memorandum signed on that day between Macao and Jiangsu regarding civil servant training was a breakthrough in sought-after regional cooperation. The Government would work closely with its Jiangsu counterparts in several areas, including an arrangement whereby Macao’s civil servants would receive training in Jiangsu. Members of the delegation on the two-day tour included: the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Chief-of-Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Iao Man Leng; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Cheong Chou Weng; the Director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, Mr Kou Peng Kuan; and the Acting Director of the Macao Economic Services, Mr Tai Kin Ip.